I would imagine if it had been an insane soldier with ties to a nutty Christian Fundamentalist church who had rantings on the internet about gays in the military and the possible end of 'don't ask don't tell', Obama would have had an easier time jumping to conclusions and being appropriately outraged.

Or maybe not, pussyfooting is our President's nature, except when it comes to Fox News Channel, then it's all out war, all the time, at the slightest provocation.

Hope and Change is what the electorate voted for a year ago, and that's what we are experiencing.

All the clues were there before the election that Pres. Obama would govern exactly as he has governed so far.

Would it be fair to say that a large number of people who voted for Obama believe that we bring tragedies like yesterday's on ourselves? That people like this monster who attacked yesterday are victims, and only do these things because of our terrible policies and wars?

Clinton either had real empathy, or faked it pretty well (thinking of the Oklahoma City bombing reaction).

Bush had his post-9/11 moment on the WTC rubble with the bullhorn.

Obama is one cold bastard - the only things that reach him have to be ABOUT him (witness ignoring Rev. Wright's remarks about the "U.S. of KKKA", "chickens coming home to roost", etc. - but once Wright said Obama was "a typical politician" - boom! under the bus immediately, with some anger and emotion).

@Jason Yeah, I saw that. Painfully, inadequate. Like Bush's first appearance after 9/11. He needs to come back in a much stronger way. His presidency is crumbling before our eyes today. It's painful.

Maybe it's just because I don't watch the news and have never formed normal expectations of when the President should be all up in my face, but . . . why should he be plastered all over the news today? If it's because of the shooting, yes, that's awful and sad, and people should probably be fired for letting the madman float through the military system so long, but it's kind of on a different order than 9/11/01. True, if the event matched with his unreflective prejudices, he'd probably be keen to jump up and down and lecture us in his way, but that doesn't mean he'd be right to.

Did half the country really elect a President who, after nearly a year on the job as Commander in Chief, still doesn't grasp the difference between the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Honor?

"Why on earth would you want to see him today or any other day? Enjoy it while you can."

Because he is the President.

I remember how Bush eventually got himself together by the evening of 9/11... after being scarily out of touch.

Obama has terrible judgment about what is important -- what order to do things. I cannot comprehend why the old issue of health care got elevated to the top position when we were in economic crisis and fighting 2 wars. Obama has never won our confidence or even demonstrated that he knows he needs to... continually.

Maybe it's just because I don't watch the news and have never formed normal expectations of when the President should be all up in my face, but . . . why should he be plastered all over the news today?

I don’t think he should be, because he did speak yesterday. Of course, it would be better to not hear from him at all then to hear yesterdays jarring “shout-out” nonsense. For whatever reason, we have decided that when bad things happen, the president should say something appropriate. This is part of his head of state function. Nobody says it should be a lecture, just an expression of grief and other appropriate expressions. He boffed it yesterday, I'm not sure that he gets a do-over. This is not 9/11.

If W. had been President yesterday and spent two minutes droning on about the great conference he was having before addressing the mass murder of his troops, Michael Moore would be building a new documentary around it.

The responder, Sgt Munley has checkmated Obama because a woman is the hero today, and all Obama can put into the news cycle is his continuing to heroically give away billions of our borrowed dollars into private slush funds for the next election cycle. Someone needs to ask him if Michelle can't fill in for a while. Barry can sharpen up his jump shot and his golf swing, but he needs to turn over teleprompter reading duty to someone with guts. She will at least make some decision on Afghan theater strategy.

Obama has terrible judgment about what is important -- what order to do things. I cannot comprehend why the old issue of health care got elevated to the top position when we were in economic crisis and fighting 2 wars.

I think that's a different issue from the issue of whether he should be spending his time today making sad faces at the cameras in response to yesterday's mass murder.

Re: whether it showed good judgment to push health care reform before addressing economic and military issues, no, I don't think it showed good judgment, but I think he also clearly got stuck in a fight he didn't even think he was going to have. Back in the summer, he wanted the bill on his desk before the summer holiday recess. Then before Thanksgiving, then before the end of the year. There may have been a few mini-deadlines in there too, like before the end of the month or whatever. In any event, it's clear to everyone that the goalposts have been moving back steadily.

I think Obama (or rather, Pelosi and Reid and the administration political strategists, like Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel) thought the Democrats could just ram health care reform through the way they did the stimulus. If so, they could have moved on to other issues quickly. But their party has started fracturing on them. Having committed himself visibly and vocally to supporting the bill, or a bill (he's never been clear on whether he supports the bills as is when he's urging congressmen to just sign off on the thing) he's can't figure out a way to extract himself now. He's like Johnson in Vietnam. Press on, and hope that victory will arrive somehow.

To tie that back to your point -- I don't think it's a problem of judgment on prioritization, as such. I think he and his advisers just failed to grasp the political situation they (and their comrades in Congress) were in.

But, dont't you understand, Althouse. There is a bill about health care that needs to be addressed. Don't worry about Obama, he'll get the photo ops with the wounded troopers, via the media, and all will be good again. Full of hope and change. Yeah, baby, I'm feelin the love right now.

Give me some more affirmative action players. Yeah, that's do the trick.

I think making it worse is that he screwed up yesterday, starting that Native American thing on such a superficial, up beat, way, and then just mentioning the killings at the military base. As a lot of pundits have suggested, he really should have canceled the event, or at least started off on a serious note.

I cannot comprehend why the old issue of health care got elevated to the top position when we were in economic crisis and fighting 2 wars.

I've said this before and I'll keep saying it: Obama's push for healthcare reform has everything to do with the circumstances of his mother's death and his resolution to "do something" about it. That is the only kind of life experience that could drive a person to such extremes.

On a more serious note: the reason Bush was "scarily out of touch" after 9/11 was because he'd been taken to a safe place by his secret service guys as is protocol when the country is under attack by unknown outside forces. People complained about that too, as if the president is supposed to stand on the roof of the White House with his fist dramatically in the air. And unlike Obama, Bush actually seemed to realize we were being attacked, not that a "tragedy had occurred" like a comet hit the World Trade Center, or something.

Then again, maybe the story will come out that the killer didn't mean to shoot all those people at Ft. Hood, only scare them -- but his gun just went off! Darn guns, always shooting people.

"No, Jeff. It's what I think would be the concern of the righwing buzzosphere."So you are saying he wouldn't be refering to himself all day, but the rightwing would chastise him for that, despite not doing that. I disagree.

I feel like the 'W was scarily out of touch' was an attempt to be fair somehow.

I don't know how Bush ws out of touch. He was following the plan to be in AF1 during this kind of attack, but he didn't really have many major interactions that were scary. He was contemplative as he waited for a safe exit from his My Pet Goat reading, but was that really scary to anyone?

I think we shouldn't try to force fairness. Bush didn't drop the ball in the aftermath of 9/11... that we really his best moment.

Obama didn't understand the gravity of what was going on. Obama clearly needs some advisors who are willing to clear this kind of thing up for him.

He's judiciously and carefully organizing a Beer Summit with Sgt. Munley and Maj. Hasan so they can talk about their respective backgrounds and resolve issues. He rejects the false choice between Sgt. Munley and Maj. Hasan shooting each other.

You say bizarre shit, Alex. And act like a bunch of people here agree with you just to stir things up. We don't. That's trollish.

Yeah, unfortunately Obama is my President. I'm not going to be an America-hating lefty type. I'm going to criticize the hell out of the things I don't like about him and his policies (and loony supporters), but he's my President, okay?

I'm also going to hope he does a Clinton and turns his selfish/stupid ways around, because it's what's best for America. I'll keep hoping.

I agree that Obama does not need to be "all over the news" and it would be counterproductive if he were. I think his two statements are about the right amount, but the substance and style is not right.

Obama seems to be shrinking before our eyes. He comes across as going though the motions without caring very much. Today was especially bad. No emotion or even much interest in Fort Hood. Then he started reading/saying his normal talking points on the economy - now he tells us that extending unemployment benefits is stimulating the economy and creating jobs -- even it that is technically true in some sense, it is not what he should be saying on the day of a 10.2% unemployment announcement. Even he stumbled when trying to lie about his stimulus plan creating over 1,000,000 jobs. It seems clear that he and his cohorts thought the economy would turn around naturally and they could go on their stimulus spending party to reward their political allies. He looks to be sliding into disaster as a president, which objectively, should not be surprise after we elect a guy who never held a real job, hung out with leftist crazies for the past 25 years, and had virtually no relevant experience to president.

Darcy - WRONG. Does anyone outside of right-wingers call the "Bush is not my POTUS" America-hating lefties? No, society didn't punish those people. So I will not have any negative consequences for saying Obama is not my President. Not now, not ever. No way, no hell, no how!

"He looks to be sliding into disaster as a president, which objectively, should not be surprise after we elect a guy who never held a real job, hung out with leftist crazies for the past 25 years, and had virtually no relevant experience to president."

Yet 54% fell for him, knowing all those things about him: no real experience, all leftist buddies & upbringing, ZERO relevant leadership (unless editor of the Law Review - without ever publishing ANYTHING - counts. I think it counts AGAINST him, since it's a precursor to his POTUS election: empty, undeserved).

Assuming Obama is an enemy of America, joy at seeing him fail would be a patriotic reaction.

Being raised anti-American from childhood, which he was, and being steeped in Marxist thought from his mentor Frank Marshall Davis through to his pastor Jeremiah Wright, and surrounding himself with radicals and socialists in his administration, it's obvious that he is indeed an enemy of America.

So it follows that true patriots hope for his utter failure, and those that support him are either fellow travelers or useful idiots.

One victim was Kimberly Munley, the civilian police officer that brought down the attacker. She was injured, but in stable condition.

Francheska Velez, another 21 year old soldier that just returned from Iraq was also a victim. She was pregnant.

Amber Bahr a 19 year old was shot in the stomach, but is in stable condition.

Keara Bono was shot in the back, and is still alive. She arrived at Fort Hood only one day before the Fort Hood shooting, and was set to deploy to Iraq on December 7.

Amy Krueger are also unofficially named as Fort Hood Shooting victims names.

You'd think he could at least say something about those women without getting off message. It seems that the shooter was deliberately targeting women. You'd think the president could shore up his feminist base by remarking on that, and then setting up a beer picnic with Germaine Greer.

If Obama is to follow the standard you are setting for him, then he'll have to start EVERY speech EVERYday with some recognition of some tragedy in the world -- I'd start with the lives lost on a daily basis in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I don't think we can compare Obama's not-so-strong comments following this shooting to Bush's continuing to read a children's book while our country was being attacked and thousands were dying. It's a matter of degree, to the say the least.

Civilian types seem to want the Prez to be some kind of National director of mourning. Obama was worse than tonedeaf in his remarks yesterday. He was insulting.

I assume today's lack of words is more a reflection that he simply doesn't care about the military unless he has to. I don't sense that he has hostility to the military, its indifference. Like taking his sweet time deciding on deployment decisions. It comes with the job so it needs to be done but its not a huge priority. Its a slog. One way or the other. Back in April it was different because there were photos and excitement and new strategies and he got to pick a General. Now its just hard...

what would you have him do Ann?I dont get the point of your post...except to bash Obama...which, admittedly is always fun to see how your minions get so excited. it's the end of the world as we know it!

@Andrea: "On a more serious note: the reason Bush was "scarily out of touch" after 9/11 was because he'd been taken to a safe place by his secret service guys as is protocol when the country is under attack by unknown outside forces."

Not only that, but IIRC the communications capabilities of Air Force 1 turned out to be woefully inadequate to keep track of what was happening across the country and so Bush was spirited away to a secure air base with better communications. Sometime after 9/11, again IIRC from published reports, both Air Force 1 planes underwent very extensive, secret upgrades to fix that problem.

I praised him for being nice to Colombia. I'm willing to say right now that he was right to push away the French and British leaders (especially the British) and make nice with the Germans.

What's shocking to me is I can't find things to praise about this President in regards to policy. He just doesn't seem to care about anything other than being elected again. Even his family and religion seem fake to me. He's the biggest poser I have ever seen.

Yesterday's video with Obama's brief mention of the slaughter (after the shout out to Joe Medicine Crow) will surely be a great solace to the families of the fallen, and an inspiration to the military men and women both here and at war.

Oh-- and isn't it a bit rich that Obama was actually at Walter Reade today, giving out Purle Hearts

By the by, it's Walter Reed when you're referring to the Army medical center. Walter Reade is a now-defunct motion picture distributor. (Not that it reflects in any way on the opinion you were expressing.)

"Being raised anti-American from childhood, which he was, and being steeped in Marxist thought from his mentor Frank Marshall Davis through to his pastor Jeremiah Wright, and surrounding himself with radicals and socialists in his administration, it's obvious that he is indeed an enemy of America."

I find the comment interesting because it is mostly true factually, but can the conclusion "enemy of America" possibly be correct?

I think of Obama as narcistic, naive on foreign policy, and far left liberal, but I never think of him as an enemy of America. To me, that indicates he wants to hurt America, which I doubt, as opposed to him believing things that will hurt America, which I think is pretty clearly true.

Clinton either had real empathy, or faked it pretty well (thinking of the Oklahoma City bombing reaction).

He faked it. He was every bit the narcissist Bambi is, but he had Dick Morris telling him what to do.

Jason said...

Did half the country really elect a President who, after nearly a year on the job as Commander in Chief, still doesn't grasp the difference between the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Honor?

That's why it's taking 10 months to decide about A-stan.

Ann Althouse said...

I remember how Bush eventually got himself together by the evening of 9/11... after being scarily out of touch.

The Secret Service wanted to be sure of the situation. Remember, nobody know what would explode next and it might be a bit problematic if POTUS, VPOTUS, and Congress all went kaboom.

I disagree that Obama should be all over the news showing leadership. I don't need him to tell me how I ought to feel about what happened at Fort Hood.

I suppose he should be prepared to say *something* encouraging, though, because he's going to be asked about it.

And if he was going to make a statement last night it should have been done first and then he could have continued in a more lighthearted manner after the cameras were off him. I can't see any reason to put everything else on hold.

And really... this doesn't even pretend to approach the event and response to 9-11. The tragedy for those involved is total and we are instinctively horrified by the senselessness of the murders, but I can not see why anyone at all is making parallels to 9-11 or My Pet Goat.

Obama is not MY President. In fact, if you look at my posts I never give him the title of "President Obama". I discuss the office of the President, but Obama is not and never will be President in my eyes.

I also want him to fail and fail miserably because everything he wants to accomplish is a disaster for the short term and long term health and safety of this country. I also believe that he is doing all of this destruction on purpose. He wants us to decline economically, become subservient to other countries, become a Socialist country and keep the rank and file, that would be you and me, in a pushed down and serf like position. A position where all bounty comes from the State and we have no individual rights and initiative is stamped out.

I want him to go down in history, if we have any history after this administration, as being the worst, most destructive President.....EVER.

"I find the comment interesting because it is mostly true factually, but can the conclusion "enemy of America" possibly be correct?"

Sure. Why not?

He says he wants to fundamentally change America.

He says the constitution fails because it's a list of negative rights and does not include the redistribution of wealth and property.

He has a Marxist-Socialist-Transnationalist worldview and aims to impose it on America, and it is in diametric opposition to the principals upon which this country was founded and millions have died to protect.

In my mind that's an enemy, albeit domestic rather than foreign. I think that makes him that much more dangerous though.

Fair enough, Dust Bunny Queen. But a lot of Alex's comments are more about a retaliation for what was done to Bush. While I agree with holding people accountable for their statements/hostility to Bush, I can't support treating Obama that way just because of it.

I agree with you about wanting his policies to fail. They're all miserable as far as I can see.

But a lot of Alex's comments are more about a retaliation for what was done to Bush. While I agree with holding people accountable for their statements/hostility to Bush, I can't support treating Obama that way just because of it.

I agree. Also I imagine that Bush is a bigger man spiritually and has forgiven or at leas forgot about all the crap that the liberals hurled his way. Obama, on the other hand, strikes me as one who will hold, nourish and cherish a grudge.

You are 100% correct. Socialism is simply feudalism with a political royal class who dispense whatever largess they see fit to a lowly class of serfs whose existence is simply to provide wealth and power to the ruling elite. You can see this in Obama's body language and his inability to hide his utter lack of concern for the peons. Every feigned gesture of care and compassion is totally contrived.

I've always said that his eyes are dead. He's a sociopath without normal human feelings. Incidents like the one yesterday are huge tells. Lefties are so brainwashed and delusional already it's easy for them to imagine this empty man is whatever they want him to be, but his true nature can't be hidden for ever. He's nowhere near smart and clever enough to hide it like a Bill Clinton.

Still think if you have an evil sociopathic enemy of America trying to destroy it from within, that you should be doing something more than talking about it on a blog

I am. Writing letters to congress critters. Attending town halls and yelling at the Representaive. Public protests. Tea Parties. Letters to the editor. Posting on blogs. Supporting conservative candidates with my MONEY and verbal support Working within the broken system that we have left from the Left's shredding of the Constitution. (and don't go off on Bush..destroy...constitution... blah blah yada yada yada or I'll have to come and put sugar in the tanks of your Mercedeses, you gas guzzling mother earth killing three car garage owner) :-D

"I don’t remember thinking Bush was “scarily” out of touch. I wasn’t really thinking about Bush at all, especially during the day. There was way too much going on."

On 9/11 I yelled at the TV screen "Get your ass back to Washington." Yeah, people--Cheney included--were telling Bush to stay away, but he was the President. He could overrule them.

His brief talk to the nation after he got back was not a confidence builder either.

But then he took charge and did a good job of building confidence.

Yesterday was not 9/11 but Obama's reaction on TV was so strange that it disconcerted the people who saw it. I'm not sure how much this will hurt Obama though since with a few exceptions the MSM are ignoring the gaffe and the reactions to it. Republicans can't make the point. Too churlish. And if the media ignores it, as they have, Obama will get another pass.

Sooner or later his tin ear and poor sense of priorities will catch up to him, and through him to us.

Fellow republicans I wish we had many different parties other than rebpub and demo.

I am fabulous, make well into six figures and don't need any govt support thank you very much. But I also don't care for all the religious hype. I am totally corporate, capitalists and love my stock options and toys.

I believe in global warming but am dammed if I am going to do anything personal about it. Believe women should be able to kill their baby anytime, even when it is 10 years old, care deeply about dogs, but don't really give a shit about the "downtrodden" in this country-gross. I also don't want to pay my taxes for "social services". I embrace firing a non performing employee in a snap of a finger, hate unions, but love hog. I also disdain the "academic community".

Obama is not MY President. In fact, if you look at my posts I never give him the title of "President Obama". I discuss the office of the President, but Obama is not and never will be President in my eyes.

I almost always agree with you, but you're wrong on this one. The lefties started this MY President nonsense, but that's not the point.

@David, I agree with your analysis. But the MSM are not doing Obama any favors. It would be good for him to get called on minor gaffes early in his presidency before we are all affected by a major gaffe later.

"Yesterday was not 9/11 but Obama's reaction on TV was so strange that it disconcerted the people who saw it. I'm not sure how much this will hurt Obama though since with a few exceptions the MSM are ignoring the gaffe and the reactions to it. Republicans can't make the point. Too churlish. And if the media ignores it, as they have, Obama will get another pass."

That NBC guy will have his cheerleading pass revoked for his comments, I suspect.

Otherwise, the media will cover for the Empty Suit for now - but they can't get away with it forever..... unless/until they shut down Youtube, the internet, etc - which apparently they're trying to do, via international anti-counterfeiting trade treaty:

edutcher - actually I consider Obama to be a Marxist traitor and illegitimately occupying the White House. Every day the House refuses to impeach him, they are illegitimate too. Impeach the entire government I say.

avwh - the media except for FNC is in total 100% slurp-mode for Obama with the likes of Chris Matthews getting a "tingle up their leg" whenever they see Obama. They should all be removed from the air, have heir FCC license revoked.

I remember on the day the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven of its crew, President Reagan went on TV and delivered a short address, lasting maybe five minutes. I shrugged it off at the time, but in hindsight, I think it was a masterful stroke - not too much, not too little. Reagan certainly wasn't "all over the news" that day, nor should he have been.

The same applies to President Obama. With all due respect to the current president (whom I voted for), he seems to be displaying a bit of political tone-deafness in the wake of the Fort Hood massacre. He obviously means well, but isn't hitting the right notes.

Policy papers? Gag. Give me a fucking break. They are paid by large individual donors not by output from a product that the American public needs.

I work for a company that researches, develops, manufactures and sells and markets products that are life saving for patients with unmet medical needs. There are only maybe 1000 or 2000 patients in the world that use our products but they save their lives. We aren't selling any boner pills, although that is very important.

The industry I work in is so fab and we make so much money-an amazing combo.

Oh and I despise government workers of all kinds except police and firemen-they are hot.

By the way my masque was successful. My face is flawless right now. Time to rinse, exfoliate and apply the enema.

As such, we have the right to expect him to do his job, which he doesn't seem to want to do. That's Ann's point.

Yes. It would be nice if he actually did his job and represented "US" the People. He won't. I have no confidence he ever will. In fact, I think he is an actual enemy of "US" the People.

I would be thrilled if Obama would have a brain transplant and suddenly begin thinking about the country and how his actions affect us for generations to come. If he did....I might consider that he is a President that represents me.

While I disagreed with Clinton on a lot of things I still respected him as President because I felt he did take his job somewhat seriously. The same thing for Bush, with whom I also disagreed on many issues. I felt that both men had/have the best interests of the country at heart.

I feel no such thing from Obama. I feel that he has no regard at all for the people or for the country.

Therefore is he not MY President. I don't think he is anyone's President.

"The same applies to President Obama. With all due respect to the current president (whom I voted for), he seems to be displaying a bit of political tone-deafness in the wake of the Fort Hood massacre. He obviously means well, but isn't hitting the right notes."

See what I mean? A "bit" of political tone deafness....he obviously means well.....

What kind of fantasy world does one have to construct to support such nonsense?

This man has every symptom of pathological narcissism yet his devotees see him as thoughtful and well meaning.

If Obama were all over the news you would ask: Why is Obama all over the news? Why is he trying to make new? Why is he spinning political views? Etc Etc.Most Americans are shocked and saddened by the latest news. We don't need our President to tell us the news is sad or bad. We're smart enough to look at the facts and figure them out. Maybe you need the President to hold your hand or something. But most likely it's all politcal with you. Too bad.

Matt - like I said last November, turnabout is a fucking bitch. We will do to your guy what you did to our guy for 8 years. You created this hell of demonizing the opposition President 24/7. So live in it you motherfucker!

Dust Bunny Queen: I want him to go down in history, if we have any history after this administration, as being the worst, most destructive President.....EVER.

Obama is just a President, we've had tons of bad Presidents. We survived Carter. But here you are hoping your own children are killed before your eyes or God only knows what other horrible things. I'm just going to assume this is all crazy talk on your part.

Now, THAT is rich. This POTUS wants every American citizen to be beholden to the government 24/7 for their every need - regulate everything that moves, provide healthcare, own the car companies so they can sell us what we drive, be the perfect cradle-to-grave nanny state.

Obama supporters were all over youtube last November saying "my worries are over; he's gonna take care of my mortgage, he's gonna keep my car filled up with gas".

But WE want our hand held? No projection in that statement, none whatsoever.

I want this POTUS and his party to just keep their fucking hands OFF my life - just leave me alone, thank you very much, and stop meddling in anything and everything before they kill the American economy and kill what made the U.S. the envy of the world.

edutcher - actually I consider Obama to be a Marxist traitor and illegitimately occupying the White House. Every day the House refuses to impeach him, they are illegitimate too. Impeach the entire government I say.

If you're serious, you have lots of company, as this post indicates. That's part of the message of Tuesday.

Obama is just a President, we've had tons of bad Presidents. We survived Carter. But here you are hoping your own children are killed before your eyes or God only knows what other horrible things. I'm just going to assume this is all crazy talk on your part.

Well, I'm going to assume this is all very bad reading comprehension on your part.

I am worried about the continuity of the Country. I am CERTAINLY not hoping for the death of my own children. You must be insane or retarded to come to those conclusions based on what I have written. I am concerned for the continuity OF my children and grandchildren if Obama and his puppet masters have their way.

Obama is not just a bad, inept, clueless, stupid, vain president in the mode of Carter. Obama is something much worse.

You don't know any of this. It may or may not be the case. Obama may be a nice person, I don't know. But I do know that when you say you hope that Obama is so bad that our country no longer has a history that you have something wrong with yourself.

Obama: not sure, not enough evidence

Dust Bunny Queen: lots of evidence, and it's getting stronger the more you write like this

I am reminded over and over when I see Obama's plodding teleprompter reading of cliches in face of real needs to take truthful executive actions, that the Bolshevicks called themselves "Dead Men Walking" because they were committed to destroying the existing social order at any cost so that a Magical Marxist Nirvannah would then spring up next as promised by Karl Marx. In reality in a few years everyone was starving and sitting waiting the real inevitability of all that deliberate destruction of the existing social order, which was a police state and rule by a mass murdering Strong man (Stalin... the man of Steel).

The Professor writ: I remember how Bush eventually got himself together by the evening of 9/11... after being scarily out of touch.

Couple others have mentioned it --maybe more, (haven't had time to scan all the comments).

"scarily out of touch?" with whom?

It's called "need to know."

I remember firing off a note to ABC when their woman reporter in the WH pool, who was flying around with POTUS during the 9/11 attacks, made an idiot out of herself. Didn't know where they were or where they were going, hangers on going into the ground in Nebraska -- whatever -- I don't remember it all now, but it majorly (is that even a word?) annoyed me and was uncalled for.

I still had enough trust in the guys who ran the show to believe that it did not matter one bit whether I knew where the POTUS was. They could run the country from wherever they were... they could have set up in the Kearney, Nebraska grange for all I knew or cared.

Where the POTUS was and what he was up to didn't cross my mind.

While chaotic -- almost any crisis has those elements -- much like our hero SGT Munley, people are trained to do what needs to be done. And they do.

We're not an hysterical culture where we ran around in the streets wailing.

We're not a banana republic. (Yet.)

Of course, I am also assuming we will survive the Obama presidency, if we can smack our representatives on the sides of their heads so they realize who they are and who WE are, before they deconstruct us all.

Note that Pres. Obama went to visit the wounded at Walter Reed today. His FIRST visit to his wounded troops, after 11 months in office. Coincidentally a day after a deplorable performance in a tragic time.

Yet 54% fell for him, knowing all those things about him: no real experience, all leftist buddies & upbringing, ZERO relevant leadership (unless editor of the Law Review - without ever publishing ANYTHING - counts. I think it counts AGAINST him, since it's a precursor to his POTUS election: empty, undeserved).It's going to a LONG three years....

In 2004, voters had a bad choice between a President many suspected was bungling anything he touched and would do further damage to the country..and an excretable, pompous, dishonorable and singularly unlikable Mass liberal.

And with the majority forced to pick Bush, we watched the bungling intensify and thought "It's going to be a long, long wait for someone better".

Then in 2008, moderate & conservative voters were amazed and slightly disgusted to see two preening narcissists heading the ticket. One stupid, treacherous to his own Party, incoherent and guaranteed to be a dismal President. The other an untested egotist of high confidence in his own abilities despite his only accomplishments being winning an elite lawyer popularity contest, a silver tongue, and writing two books about the greatness of his little feats so far.They were backed by a blathering twit who while people shuddered at the thought of him in the Oval Office, at least who knew how things worked - and a dimbulb woman unfit for office who talked in pleasing soundbites.

Voters ultimately decided by the majority that the untested potential of The One was better than the guaranteed dismal prospects of McCain, the new wars he wanted to add to the existing ones America was stuck in and wanted to intensify, and McCains "genius" of doing what liberals want and then giving them a figleaf of "bipartisanship" to hide behind.

As is, the Obama toss of the dice isn't panning out like voters hoped. But at least there is no McCain claiming that Amnesty, Cap 'n Trade, Goldman Sachs bailouts, just giving distressed mortgage holders 100s of thousands in taxpayer money to lower their debt on a half million home enough to afford the interest payments - are all Republican-Dem bipartisan efforts.

With Obama in office and Pelosi pulling his strings, the Dems own it. Whatever good or bad happens in the next 4 years, they own it.

Note that Pres. Obama went to visit the wounded at Walter Reed today. His FIRST visit to his wounded troops, after 11 months in office. Coincidentally a day after a deplorable performance in a tragic time.

This is a bald-faced lie. I know for a fact that he visited wounded soldiers at Landstuhl in Germany back in June when he was in Europe.

Of course, if his visits to the troops had received more attention, you would be criticizing for that too.

"During last year's presidential campaign, Barack Obama's decision not to visit the military medical facility at Landstuhl in Germany became a point of controversy, ... Obama made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops.

Well, per the White House, President Obama is going to visit Landstuhl on June 5 when he goes abroad next week."

In the comments:"Obama strikes me..as one who will hold a ...grudge""Ive always said his eyes are dead"" "I actually consider Obama to be a Marxist traitor and illegitimately occupying the White House""I think he is an actual enemy of US people"

These comments are so well thought out, such greatinsight and reasoning. Be proud Ann.

God is there anything Freder doesn't lie about? The Landstuhl story is pretty common knowledge.

I agree in one sense that the President can be too over the top and look like he is manipulating the situation. Bill Clinton had a bad habbit of doing that. But at the same time, a President has to show empathy.

If you look at the whole record, Obama does have empathy for some things. He certainly had empathy for H.L. Gates. Wether it be the awkward salute up at Dover, the canceling of the trip to Landstuhl or this, Obama seems to have very little empathy for soldiers. This thing doesn't seem to really bother him. He seems very detached and unaffected by it. My guess is he will never visit Fort Hood. Never pay so much as a phone call to the woman cop who got this guy and will hope that it goes away as soon as possible.

Liberals hate the military and only pretend to care when it fits their purposes.

interesting thread--and my favorite commenter C4 pretty well gets to the substance--our political system produced two losers to advance to the presidency--the American people chose one, and has events seem to indicate, the one behind the first curtain seems to be not up to the task. Then we wait for three years too try it again. But to cedarfords point--how did we get here in the first place? Out political system is broken--it isnt what the founders imagined.

Were it me, I would call a new constitutional conovention as specified in the constitution, and rethink exactly what we want as a republic. I would most certainly repeal the 17th and 18th amendments.

A constitutional convention isnt going to happen--too many entrenched interests. That said, a la C4--our two party system is broken. Now personally I think we will come out of this OK but there will be bumps along the road.

When a cartoonist like Jules Pfeiffer starts depicting the current president as a shrinking peanut, then we will understand the president as the founders meant the president to be. Aint going to happen unfortunately.

We are stuck with the incumbent and given the ineptptitude of the GOP, Obama will probably serve two terms. Its the system folks--and the system is broken.